PLAYGROUND
EQUIPMENT
Duncan & Grove is a playground equipment design and manufacture company with over 10 years experience building award-winning playgrounds. We manufacture a range of high-quality natural play equipment as well as building large bespoke playgrounds. Our products are hand crafted out of hardwood that doesn’t require chemical treatment so they are durable and kind to the environment.
We have over 200 products in our catalogue range. We make all of our own equipment so we can adapt our existing catalogue products to suit your needs or we can design and build something entirely new. Flexibility and adaptability are at the heart of our business, our objective is to design what you want and build it in a way that will last. Our catalogue is based around natural playground equipment and is separated into two different ranges; hardwood playground equipment and robinia playground equipment.
HARDWOOD
PLAYGROUND
EQUIPMENT
Our hardwood range is made from large section sawn reclaimed and FSC certified beams. These are more geometrical in appearance than our robinia playground equipment however the nature of the hardwood with the grain of the wood and size of the beams creates a tactile organic feel. We design and build all of our hardwood playground equipment at our workshop meaning we can adjust our designs to your needs. Within our range we have climbing frames, climbing nets, hammocks, play huts, swings, trim trails and more. If you don’t see something you are after in our range let us know and we can design and build it for you.
HARDWOOD
We use a range of naturally very durable hardwoods with a life span in excess of 25 years in ground contact. The main species we use are greenheart, opepe and ekki. These are used not just for their toughness but because they are less prone to cracking than oak or sweet chestnut. We offer a 20 year warranty against greenheart, opepe and ekki in ground contact and a 30 year warranty for out of ground contact. The reclaimed beams are sourced from coastal installations such as piers, jetties and sea defenses. Our reclaimed beams go through the following process:
- Beams are jet washed clean to remove dirt, loose knots, rot, and to allow us to identify the correct species.
- Any metal is removed from the timber.
- The timber is sawn and planed to the correct size.
- Holes are plugged with hardwood dowel.
- Beams are sanded smooth.
RECLAIMED GREENHEART
These beams came from the restoration
of the Woolwich Ferry Terminal
METAL REMOVED
Any metal that might damage
blades is removed.
CUT TO SIZE
Beams are cut to size removing the outer
layer of weathered timber.
PLANED SMOOTH
The beams are planed smooth.
HOLES PLUGGED
The holes are plugged with
hardwood dowels.
SANDED SMOOTH
The reclaimed beams are sanded smooth.
END PRODUCT
Beautiful hardwood beam
ROBINIA
PLAYGROUND
EQUIPMENT
Our robinia range retains the natural form of the tree with natural twists and curves, creating structures that has an intrinsically organic feel. We only use the highest-quality robinia for the manufacture of our products. As robinia is naturally very durable so our robinia playground equipment does not require any chemical treatment.
ROBINIA
We use the highest-quality robinia to manufacture of our products. The robinia used in our play equipment goes through a rigorous five step pre-treatment process to ensure it’s quality. We offer a 15 years guarantee for robinia in ground contact and a 20 year guarantee for robinia out of ground contact.
- Step 1 – Debarked and sanded smooth. Bark and sapwood are not durable and rot quickly so after the trees are felled they are debarked and the sapwood removed before being sanded smooth.
- Step 2 – Rest the timber. We keep the timber at our yard allowing it to rest and air dry before use. The natural drying process lets us filter out timbers that have formed large cracks or splits during the resting period.
- Step 3 – Knot removal. We carefully inspect each pole with only the highest quality poles being accepted. Knots are assessed to determine if they are sound. Too large and the timber is rejected. Small knots are removed, the timber treated and the knot plugged with hardwood timber dowel.
- Step 4 – Cross Bolting. Robinia poles contain the boxed-heart of the wood and can split. The worst are selected out during the resting period but to reduce the risk further we cross bolt the ends with stainless steel bolts.
- Step 5 – UV Protective Oil. We apply a coat of high-quality uv protective oil to our robinia poles to reduce the affects of graying, cracking and protect the timber.
ROBINIA POLES
Naturally durable hardwood with a life expectancy
greater than 25 years.
ROBINIA
ROBINIA POLES
Naturally durable hardwood with a life expectancy
greater than 25 years.
We use the highest-quality robinia to manufacture of our products. The robinia used in our play equipment goes through a rigorous five step pre-treatment process to ensure it’s quality. We offer a 15 years guarantee for robinia in ground contact and a 20 year guarantee for robinia out of ground contact.
- Step 1 – Debarked and sanded smooth. Bark and sapwood are not durable and rot quickly so after the trees are felled they are debarked and the sapwood removed before being sanded smooth.
- Step 2 – Rest the timber. We keep the timber at our yard allowing it to rest and air dry before use. The natural drying process lets us filter out timbers that have formed large cracks or splits during the resting period.
- Step 3 – Knot removal. We carefully inspect each pole with only the highest quality poles being accepted. Knots are assessed to determine if they are sound. Too large and the timber is rejected. Small knots are removed, the timber treated and the knot plugged with hardwood timber dowel.
- Step 4 – Cross Bolting. Robinia poles contain the boxed-heart of the wood and can split. The worst are selected out during the resting period but to reduce the risk further we cross bolt the ends with stainless steel bolts.
- Step 5 – UV Protective Oil. We apply a coat of high-quality uv protective oil to our robinia poles to reduce the affects of graying, cracking and protect the timber.
CROSS BOLTING
The beam ends are cross-bolted with stainless steel
bolts to reduce the effects of splitting.
HEAVY DUTY CONNECTIONS
We use heavy duty stainless fixings.
QUALITY
MATERIALS
Quality and durability are a central part of anything we design and build. We have considerable experience making wooden outdoor structures and know through that experience which materials stand the test of time, ensuring that all of our play equipment is easy to maintain and lasts a long time.
HARDWOOD
TIMBER
At Duncan & Groves we only use naturally durable hardwood such as opepe, ekki, greenheart, cumaru and robinia which is either reclaimed or from FSC certified sawmills. These species are physically hard and naturally durable.
Robinia is grown in commercial quantities in Europe. The trees are generally coppiced providing smaller fast grown sections. This limits the diameter and length of timber available but means it is ideal for providing fast growing sustainable hardwood for playgrounds.
Robinia is classed as highly durable with a life span in excess of 25 years in ground contact without chemical treatment. Ekki, Opepe, greenheart and cumaru are some of the most durable timber species known with a life spans in excess of 25 years in ground contact without chemical treatment. These species are also suitable for marine environments.
Timber is made up of 3 major layers; bark, sapwood and heartwood.
- The bark and sapwood are full of sugary starches and sap which attracts pests and forms rot. It is essential to remove these layers to help with the longevity of the equipment.
- The Heartwood is the only part we use for manufacturing. It has the highest quality properties, is durable, robust and does not require any treatment.
ROPES &
NETS
We manufacture our nets in house. This allows us to adapt our designs quickly and easily to design changes, take accurate measurements before the net is made, and easily alter the net if required. We have mobile site presses so we can attend site at short notice to conduct any maintenance required ensuring your playground is fit for purpose and remains in use.
Our nets are made using high-quality:
- Wire reinforced polypropylene rope
- Aluminium ferrules
- Stainless steel chain
- Stainless steel chain connectors
STEEL
COMPONENTS
Our steel components are manufactured from quality stainless steel and are available in either a brushed or polished finish. All of our stainless steel comes with a 30 year guarantee although the expected service life is much greater than this.
STEEL
FOOTINGS
We recommend the use of steel footings when installing timber playground equipment. The main factor determining the life span of wooden play equipment is the wooden uprights rotting at the point where they meet the ground. Although the hardwoods we use are naturally durable by using steel footings and lifting the timber out of ground contact you can significantly increase the longevity of the playground equipment. We offer 20 year guarantees on robinia uprights on steel footings and 30 years for ekki, opepe, greenheart and cumaru.
- Hollow Section Steel Footings – Where the post is being supported entirely by the steel footing and is not part of a larger supporting structure, we use hollow section steel where the timber is inserted inside of the shoe. This allows a much larger lateral load to be placed on the post than would otherwise be the case.
- Flitch Plate Steel Footings – Where the post is part of a larger structure that is self supporting and so just needs elevating from ground level with the steel footing we use a flitch plate design.
- Mild or Stainless Steel – We offer steel footings in either mild steel that is hot dip galvanised or stainless steel. Stainless steel is superior in terms of aesthetics and longevity but is more expensive.
WARRANTY
Quality and durability are at the heart of what Duncan & Grove do. We use high-quality durable materials to manufacture play equipment that is built to last and easy to maintain.
30 YEAR WARRANTY
- Galvanised steel shoes and plates
- Galvanised structural parts
- Stainless steel fasteners
- Stainless steel slides, fireman’s poles, monkey bars, ladder runs and other custom stainless steel play items
- Ekki, opepe, greenheart, cumaru out of ground contact
20 YEAR WARRANTY
- Ekki, opepe, greenheart and cumaru timbers in ground contact
- Robinia timbers out of ground contact, including robinia uprights supported by steel shoes
15 YEAR WARRANTY
- Robinia in ground contact
5 YEAR WARRANTY
- Surface finish of steel components; hot galvanization
- Seats and hangers.
- Steel chains.
2 YEAR WARRANTY
- Steel reinforced nets and ropes.
- Movable metal parts.
SPARE
PARTS
Duncan & Grove hold standard spare parts in stock and aim to deliver within 2 to 5 days.
If you need a replacement spare part then please email a photo of the equipment and the part in question to sales@duncanandgrove.com or call 020 7112 7551 and we will be in touch to confirm the details and either send you the part next day delivery or arrange attending site to install the item.
PLAY
SAFETY
All of our playground equipment is designed to be play safety compliant. As standard our designs comply with European Play Safety Standard EN 1176 and the American Play Safety Standard ASTM.
Our designs are inspected by independent play safety advisors and all of our playgrounds have an independent play safety inspection upon completion with a written play safety report being produced for the customer.